the alvar fields             
                          
                                          
 from   north   to  south,   thirty   odd 
 kilometers.  from  west  to  east,  four 
 thousand meters.  from topsoil to stone, 
 a foot or  two. no roots can fester,  no 
             dust can linger.             
                                          
 here  is  earth, clay,  and  sturdy  low 
 plants.  bushes  frame  the  strip.  the 
 earth is  bare in  patches  as  large as 
                you and me.               
                                          
 cross  it to get to the ocean, or  don't 
          to stay where you are.